Page 37 of Line of Resistance

Eloise lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “Who knows. He’s as unpredictable as you are.”

Nate moved in closer, bringing the tip of his nose to the tip of hers. “I don’t like that you just put me and him in the same group.”

Eloise’s eyes flashed as she stared him down, undaunted and unafraid. “Don’t act like it’s my fault you’re there, because it’s not.”

She was fucking incredible. Irresistible in the worst possible way.

And maybe it was time to stop fighting it. Maybe it was time to give up.

Give in.

See if there really could be something between them without having to worry about the prying eyes of his family watching his every move.

Right now they were alone—and might stay that way for a while. He might not get another opportunity like this and he resolved to take it.

Nate moved closer, itching to get his hands on her. “I guess I’ll just have to prove you’ve got me all wrong then.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ELOISE

“RIGHT.” SHE SNORTED, the sound about as unsweet and unladylike as it could get. “I’ll hold my breath on that.” Eloise pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, more in her element than she had been in years. It felt so good to finally let it all out. To finally say what she was thinking without caring how it landed.

Not that the person she pretended to be was a complete lie. Shewasoptimistic. Shedidwant the people she cared about to succeed. Shedidenjoy going out and being social.

She’d simply taken the best parts of herself and pushed them front and center, building them high and wide enough that no one really looked over or around to where the less shiny bits were hiding.

But fuck Nate. Fuck his wishy-washy ways and fuck his back-and-forth behavior. Who cared if he saw those darker, less pretty parts? Who cared if he figured out she was secretly a sarcastic bitch who preferred hiking through the mountains and campfires to singing off-key karaoke in crowded bars at night?

Definitely not her.

Eloise pushed past him through the snow, doing her best to keep any clumpy white chunks from flying up onto her dress and tights. One of the primary keys to keeping warm in weather like this was staying dry, so the less snow she kicked around, the better off she would be.

“Eloise, wait.” Nate chased after her, easily catching up and blocking her path. “We need to come up with a plan.”

“I have a plan.” Eloise pointed over his shoulder. “I’m going there.”

Nate turned. “Holy shit.”

“Did you think I was just standing there waiting for you to save us?” Eloise started walking again, bumping his shoulder with hers. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a damsel in distress.” She focused on putting one boot in front of the other instead of the fact that Nate immediately fell in line, following her without question or argument.

Sadly, the small structure she’d seen while hiding behind the tree, thinking each second might be her last, was farther away than it seemed. It was also less impressive than she expected.

And she wasn’t expecting much.

The closer they got, the more dilapidated it appeared. The shingled roof had a slight dip to it and the wood siding was rotting away, curling and splintering from the wear and tear of the Alaskan weather. But shelter was shelter, and since it didn’t seem like the best idea to stand on the side of the road with her thumb out, the only other option they had was hunkering down and waiting all this out. Maybe figuring out a way to get somewhere their cell phones would work.

Eloise skidded to a stop, reaching under the blanket to pat down the pockets of her coat. When she didn’t feel the solid, rectangular case of her cell she let her head drop back on a groan. “I left my phone in the freaking car.”

Nate continued past her, plowing a path through the knee-high snow. “Good. It means no one else can track you the same way I did.”

Eloise eyed the semi clear pathway his long strides created. For a second, she considered plowing into an untouched area just to be stubborn. Just to prove she didn’t need him for anything. Except, while she might be a pain in the ass, she wasn’t stupid. Stupidity got you killed, and that wasn’t something she was in the mood for.

Eloise fell in line behind him, catching up quickly since Nate’s tracks made the job of fighting through the snow easier. Not that she would ever admit it. “What about you? Can’t they trace your phone?”

“My phone’s untrackable.” He glanced over one shoulder, looking her up and down before facing forward again. “It’s one of the perks of working for Alaskan Security.”

“Are you sure?” Clearly Alaskan Security was into some shady shit if Nate was casually carrying around the kind of rifle that could take out a moose. And while Heidi was obviously great at what she did, no barrier was impenetrable.

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